Real Wedding

Virginia Wedding: Jennifer & Caroline

Jennifer and Caroline were married on Sept. 20, 2014 at the Vintager Inn before 150 guests and a mariachi band. “We had the band escort us down the aisle and after the ceremony and they continued to play throughout the cocktail hour,” Caroline said, explaining that her bride is obsessed with everything Mexican. They also had a ‘fiesta’ themed cocktail hour with a taco bar, tequila shots and passed taquitos.

They chose that location because they wanted a rustic venue somewhere between Northern Virginia and Raleigh, NC, where most of their guests were coming from. “The landscape and scenery were amazing and we knew this was something that our friends and family would love,” the brides said. “We also knew with good weather that this would be an unforgettable venue. The main barn that we used for the reception opened up to a picture-perfect view at sunset. Our guests are still raving about the venue.”

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The brides met playing rugby, and it was at a tournament in 2007 that their love story began. “Little did I know that when Jennifer shared her Sparks Malt beverage with me that weekend, it would ignite into happily ever after!” Caroline said. She had this to say about the marriage proposal: “We had a date scheduled for our six year anniversary. Starting that morning I kept finding long stem roses with sweet notes in several different places. Jennifer is always very thoughtful and sweet like that so I didn’t think anything crazy was up. However, I did ask her at some point in the day if she was going to propose to me (I was joking and really had no clue!). Before we left the house for dinner Jennifer called me back into the house and the rest was history. It was very private and sweet just like Jennifer. So it was perfect.”

Their wedding day was everything they had hoped for. “It was really important to us that the whole atmosphere from the ceremony to the reception reflected our personalities,” Caroline said. She added: “We wanted to make sure that attendees could not only see and feel our love, but also see that we like to have fun. Our ceremony was extremely unique to us. We wrote the ceremony and had one of our best friends marry us (she did an amazing job for someone that had never done this before). The script was filled with love and laughter. We took turns sharing some of the things that made us fall in love with each other (all things sweet and hilarious) followed by the hand ceremony, our vows, and a kiss.”

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One of their favorite moments was watching their guests arrive, while they were in hiding. “All of these people that you love and adore are there showing their support for you on the biggest day of your life,” Caroline recalled. “It was just an amazing feeling.”

“Another thing that still makes us laugh about the wedding is that we almost ran out of alcohol during the cocktail hour alone,” Caroline said. “This is the biggest party you will ever throw in your lifetime and we were so glad that our friends and family were taking advantage of that.” The brides both love whiskey, and they made personalized labels for Jack Daniels airplane bottles. One side had a picture of the brides with their wedding date and location. The other side of the label read: To Love Laughter And Happily Ever After. You Helped Make our Day Complete Now Please Enjoy this Little Treat.

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Denise Oliveira is a Brooklyn-based writer. She has a master's degree in journalism from Columbia University in New York City and is the founder of Prequels, where she interviews engaged couples to create wedding invitations and favors that incorporate their love story.